


beating heart

by inkin_brushes



Series: Immortals (Vamp AU) [7]
Category: VIXX
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Biting, M/M, Vampire Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-14
Updated: 2014-06-16
Packaged: 2018-05-27 06:58:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6274360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inkin_brushes/pseuds/inkin_brushes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sanghyuk paused for a moment and then asked, as delicately as possible, “Are you sure you don’t want to talk about it?”</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Sanghyuk circled Hakyeon slowly, lowered into a half crouch. Hakyeon had his hands up, around shoulder level, ready to block any moves, and he turned as Sanghyuk moved around him but very deliberately kept his feet far enough apart so as to balance himself. 

They were in Hakyeon's living room, all the furniture pushed up against the walls, along with the boxes of stuff Minseok kept bringing by. Wonshik's stuff. They had needed room to practice, and this was as good a place as any, with HQ off limits for them.

Sanghyuk's face was screwed up in concentration, and when he finally leaped forward, Hakyeon saw it coming, and he moved backwards to dodge the punch Sanghyuk threw at him. Sanghyuk used his momentum to keep going, spinning in a circle and bringing his foot up to kick the side of Hakyeon's chest, a blow that could shatter ribs. But he hesitated too much, afraid of harming Hakyeon, which Hakyeon thought was cute, but _really_? He let Sanghyuk land the blow because he knew he could take it, and he brought his arm down once Sanghyuk's foot made contact, trapping Sanghyuk's ankle between his arm and his side. He grabbed onto Sanghyuk's calf with his other hand, just to keep him from jerking free.

"Ah!" Sanghyuk cried, hopping to keep his balance on one foot. 

Hakyeon swiped his foot out, hooking it on the back of Sanghyuk's supporting ankle, and toppled him backwards. Sanghyuk fell right onto his back, hard, the air whooshing out of him, and he didn't get back up. 

"I've told you not to be concerned about hurting me," Hakyeon said, hands on his hips as he looked down at Sanghyuk, wheezing on his floor. There was a ripple along the house wards, and Hakyeon glanced at the clock. "Ah, it is time for our regular afternoon visit from Minseok." He stepped over Sanghyuk and went into his kitchen, opening the door as Minseok was still knocking. 

"Hey," Hakyeon said, slightly breathless from exertion. 

"Hey," Minseok echoed, smiling, "did I interrupt something?"

"Sanghyuk and I were just sparring a bit," Hakyeon said, stepping back so Minseok could come in and set the box he was holding on the table. "Or, I should say I was kicking his ass," Hakyeon amended sweetly.

"This is child abuse," Sanghyuk called from the living room. 

Minseok hesitated in the doorway, glancing to his left. "I'm not alone today."

Then suddenly Kris was there, looming, and Hakyeon blinked, swallowing. He hadn't seen nor heard from Kris since he'd suspended them two and a half weeks ago. 

"Oh," Hakyeon said lamely. 

"May we?" Kris asked, gesturing at the inside of the apartment, and Hakyeon nodded weakly. Minseok immediately hopped forward, with the surety of someone who'd been here many times before, and Kris followed more slowly. Hakyeon shut the door softly behind them. 

"Sanghyuk," Hakyeon called, "come in here." 

Minseok set his box on the table, and then Hakyeon made motions for him and Kris to sit, but they declined. Sanghyuk came bounding into the room, saw Kris, and stumbled a little. "Sir," he mumbled, looking at the ground. He was unshowered and in sweats, and he turned a little red around the ears. 

Hakyeon didn't want to waste time with smalltalk. "Is this about Wonshik?" he asked. 

"A bit," Kris said vaguely, "but mostly I am here to tell you that you and Sanghyuk have received clearance to come back into work."

Sanghyuk made a surprised little noise and Hakyeon blinked. "We're off suspension?"

"Yes, and I'll expect you back into work tomorrow night." Kris's tone was a little terse, like he was slightly miffed at them, but Hakyeon didn't know why. Kris reached out to pat the cardboard box. "This is the last of Wonshik's things, for the most part. There are some things we found that we shall keep, but his apartment is officially empty now." 

Hakyeon inclined his head. Yes, of course they would keep some things they deemed as possible leads. "Have you found anything that will help you locate him?"

"The best lead we have is the grimy little hovel he rented out a few cities west of here, but as you know, it had been cleared out by the time we got there."

Again, Hakyeon nodded. They'd found Wonshik's car a few cities over, and Hakyeon had been annoyed at that little loose end Wonshik just left dangling. Some digging had revealed that Wonshik had taken up residence for a very short window of time in a shitty apartment in the same city the car was found in. 

"We have been looking around but nothing new has turned up, if that is what you're asking," Kris sniffed. "It is beginning to look like we will not find him."

Hakyeon kept his face carefully blank. He was glad they weren't going to find Wonshik, and Kris knew it, but not for quite the obvious reasons. Regardless, it wouldn't do to _look_ happy about it. 

Kris stared at Hakyeon, hard, the silence that stretched on becoming charged. Finally Kris looked away. "Anyway, as I said, I am here to let you know you're back on the force with us." He fished two cell phones out of his right front pocket. "These are yours." He put them on the table beside the box. 

Hakyeon eyed them warily. "Thank you," he mumbled. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Sanghyuk nod enthusiastically.

"Congrats," Minseok said, smiling widely. "It'll be nice to have you back."

Kris turned to leave but then he stopped, like he'd remembered something. "Oh, yeah," he muttered. He pulled a set of keys out of his jacket pocket, and slipped one off the ring, tossing it down beside the cell phones. It made a dim clatter as it hit the artificial wood. "Wonshik's car is outside. We finished searching it, and found nothing of use in it. It's not worth selling, but it runs well enough, so we're giving it to you."

"What?" Hakyeon gasped, but Kris was already striding out of the door, and Minseok followed on his heels, calling out a very abrupt farewell.

There was silence, for a beat. "Well," Sanghyuk said, blinking at the front door, "that was, uh, something. What do you make of it? Do you think he—"

Hakyeon made a jerky motion, and Sanghyuk fell silent. Hakyeon's wards were tittering at him, and he reached a hand out, hovering over the phones. It felt like the skin of his palm was being zapped, faintly. Wordlessly he walked to the sink, placing the plug into the drain and turning the water on, watching as the sink filled up a couple of inches. 

He grabbed the phones and tossed them into the water, then he waited. His wards fizzled, but then settled down. Hakyeon left the phones in the water even after his wards had quieted.

"They were bugged," Hakyeon said simply, at Sanghyuk's questioning glance. 

"I thought— you said that the wards on the house would prevent people from listening in," Sanghyuk said in mild horror. 

"Yes, even if some sort of charm was brought directly into my home, the wards would prevent it from communicating with its owner, and eventually they would wear it down until it was useless," Hakyeon said. "But they do not work against good old technology. I'd need other wards for that, and I don't want to put too many around. Cluttering a place up with spells can be detrimental. But I might have to." 

"Do you think the car is bugged as well?" 

"I do not think it was a harmless gift. I will have Kyungsoo look at it when he comes by tomorrow. I sure as hell won't be driving it anywhere until then."

The day after they'd been put on suspension, Hakyeon had taken Sanghyuk downtown, so they could see Kyungsoo. Hakyeon had explained what had happened, Wonshik's turning and subsequent freeing of Hongbin, and then their suspension from hunting. He also explained that they were being watched now, and that it was supposed to be just in case Wonshik stopped by, but that Hakyeon suspected it was because Kris wanted to monitor them, and that he didn't like it. Kyungsoo's lip had curled. He had a dislike of larger organizations as a rule, thought that in the end they were corrupt, and far less effective than they could be. Their rigidity held them back, he said. It was why he refused to be on HQ's payroll. He'd been helping Hakyeon since well before Hakyeon worked for HQ, back when Hakyeon was a freelance hunter. 

At Hakyeon's request, he'd given both Hakyeon and Sanghyuk wards, slim chain necklaces to help shake off anyone that might follow them. When Hakyeon had first seen the chains, he'd thought they were silver, but then in other lights they looked gold, and sometimes, they looked clear, like the links were made of crystal. It would tingle, when it was active. The spellwork was human specific, since Hakyeon's wards would warn him of any vampires. It was sad, that now he had to watch his back when it came to his fellow humans as well. 

Knowing Hakyeon was pushing his luck, he'd asked Kyungsoo to stop by his place, to make sure his house wards were all in working order. They'd been through a lot, he'd said, and he was just reinforcing all his defenses now. Kyungsoo had squinted, but agreed he'd come by in a few weeks time. He said he had some things to do before then.

Sanghyuk was frowning, and Hakyeon added, "It's alright, we're just going to have to be more vigilant, from now on."

Sanghyuk shook his head. "I just don't like that Kris doesn't trust us."

"Me," Hakyeon corrected. "He doesn't trust me. You love me so he knows that you have loyalty to me, but I don't think he believes you're deceiving him. He can tell I am. Our story checked out, because it was true, but he knows there is something off. And as time passes and they cannot find Wonshik, he will become more and more irked that I am withholding information." Hakyeon shook his head, smiling at Sanghyuk slightly. "On the bright side, this means you can finally go home."

"Oh, yeah, the watch will be lifted now, huh?" Sanghyuk bit his bottom lip. "Can I stay here one more night? I want to talk to Kyungsoo in the morning."

Hakyeon's smile turned into something more soft, fond. "Yes, kiddo, of course."

——

It was cold in the underground cells of HQ, the smell of damp earth thick in the air, suffocating. Hakyeon ran through the corridors, stumbling, the watery, flickering lights made it difficult to get around. His owl eyes tattoos weren't kicking in, and he didn't pause to examine that, was too desperate to find what he was searching for.

Someone was screaming, the sound high and rending, echoing through the halls. It made Hakyeon all the more frantic, his heart pounding in his chest as he continued to lose friction on the damp floor, slowing him down. He didn't have time— why couldn't he find it—

He skidded into a long, familiar hall, but the floor was quite wet, and the lights were far dimmer than he remembered. He had expected to see Wonshik, sitting up against the wall, but he wasn't there, which was odd. He was always there.

The screaming continued, louder now. 

There was only one door along the wall, which was also odd, Hakyeon could have sworn there were more, but it didn't matter, nothing mattered except that he had to stop the screaming. He rested his hands on the icy metal of the closed door, reaching for the latch, but there was none. Hakyeon's heart stuttered, hands sweeping over the frame frantically, but there was no latch, nor handle, the edges of the door had been welded shut. 

"No," he gasped, "no no no—" At the sound of his voice the screaming stopped, but not like the screamer had chosen to fall silent, but rather like they'd been cut off, and Hakyeon stilled. "Hongbin," he called, then he hit the door, pounding until the skin of his hands split. "Hongbin—"

"You can't be here," a voice said from Hakyeon's right, and his head whipped to the side. There were— people, shadows, coming towards him, to take him away, he knew. 

"I have to tell him I'm sorry," Hakyeon sobbed, as their hands grasped at him, "Hongbin is my family— I have to tell him—"

"Hongbin is not here, Hakyeon," the voice said, and Hakyeon stared at the person's face, but was unable to make it out in the dim lighting. 

_But then who had been screaming_ , Hakyeon wondered, and as if to answer his question there was the grating sound of tearing metal, and the door of the cell began to swing open. Where the hallway had only old flickering bulbs, the cell had bright, blinding white fluorescents, and Hakyeon squinted, trying to look past the light—

The interior of the cell had bright white walls, and the floor gleamed with wetness, but where the hallway was wet with water from the earth, the cell's floor was red, deep red. There was someone lying in the middle of the spreading pool of red, the color seeping into their white clothing, their overgrown black hair falling over their face. There was a long, warded piece of wood sticking out of their chest; a stake to the heart.

Hakyeon felt like he might die, like his heart might burst. He stumbled forward, slipping on the blood on the floor and falling to his knees, where it bled, still warm, through his clothing. He reached out, gently pushing at the person's shoulder so their head lolled, their hair falling off their face—

Then it was Hakyeon who screamed. 

It woke him up, the screaming, _his_ screaming. He bolted upright, heart hammering, drenched in sweat. His sheets were all tangled around him, restricting him, and he tore at them frantically, panic bubbling up his throat, choking him.

The light flicked on, and then Sanghyuk was there, grabbing Hakyeon's shoulders and shaking him hard. He was pale as paper. "You're dreaming, Hakyeon," he said, a little roughly. 

Hakyeon managed to fling the sheets away, and he gasped, trying to remember how to breathe. He still felt like he was suffocating, and tears seeped out of his eyes, running hot down his cheeks. "I—" he gasped, hands trembling violently as he reached up to cover his mouth, as if that would stop the sobs. They didn't. 

"It's alright," Sanghyuk said, face full of concern. "It was a dream, Hakyeon, it wasn't real."

Hakyeon shook his head. He knew that, he did, even now many of the details were growing fuzzy, but it didn't stop the terror. He knew the only thing to do was cry it out. "I'll be okay," he said, the words breaking under the force of his sobs. "Go back to bed, Sanghyuk." 

Sanghyuk's face twisted, and he left the room, but he didn't turn the light off. Hakyeon tried to steady his breathing, to get his heart to stop attempting to gallop out of his chest. The amulet around his neck pinged sadly, and Hakyeon grasped it gently, feeling it warm in his hand. 

Sanghyuk came back, with a glass and the vodka. Hakyeon let out a bark of laughter at that, the sound wet. Sanghyuk looked vaguely affronted. "It works for me."

Hakyeon wiped at his nose with his blanket. "Yes," he said. "Give it here."

Sanghyuk held both the vodka and glass out, but Hakyeon simply took the bottle from him, taking a swig directly from it. It burned, disgusting, and Hakyeon revelled in it. 

Sanghyuk watched him, young and sad and confused. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Hakyeon thought of the blood seeping into his pants, of the stake, of the eyes—

"No," he said, and Sanghyuk looked away. "We all have nightmares, Sanghyuk." _And there are some things I have to keep to myself_ , he thought. 

"I guess," Sanghyuk said softly, "you just seem to have a lot."

"I have a lot of things on my mind," he said, smiling hollowly. "Go back to sleep, at least one of us will need to have all his faculties running tomorrow."

Sanghyuk looked troubled, but he said no more, and this time when he left he shut the light off. 

Hakyeon pressed the mouth of the bottle to his lips, and he worked to swallow, fighting off his gag reflex. The nightmare was fading, but not the worst parts of it, those stayed seared into his mind, always. 

It was a recurring one, as most of his nightmares were. He hated it, hated how every time he never could realize he was dreaming, every time it had to play out, every time he woke up screaming and crying. 

He hadn't told Taekwoon. Maybe he should, it might help, somehow. Except Taekwoon was always far more worried about Hakyeon than about himself, so rather than seeing the dreams as a warning of a potential future, he would probably just be concerned for the distress they were causing Hakyeon. 

They'd spoken about being discreet, of course, for all the obvious reasons, but again, Taekwoon was far more concerned about what would happen to Hakyeon if they were caught together, rather than what would happen to himself. It was stupid, to Hakyeon's mind. He would simply go to prison, in all likelihood, and probably a cushy one, since everyone would surely think him insane. 

But Taekwoon— captured Elimias weren't so lucky. 

Most captured vamps were young, as the older a vamp became, the better they were at hiding their tracks, the stronger and smarter they got. The majority of the vamps in captivity were young enough that they still had living relatives, and not great great grandnieces who'd never known them, but parents, spouses, children. People who mourned them when they went missing and then mourned a second time when they were brought in undead. 

Since the official statement on vampires was that they were just sick people who could be cured, if they could just find a way, the next of kin had a choice, the same one that was offered to Wonshik when Hongbin was turned: either pull the plug, so to speak, or have their relative locked away in a special vampire hospital. They were prisons, but again, the official line was vamps were sick people, and sick people were kept in hospitals, so. 

The ones that were locked away were kept a certain duration, until what would have been the end of their human lifetime, and then they were staked. In the meanwhile they were fed pig's blood, like Hongbin was, and would descend into madness rapidly. The family could change their minds, at any time. Most of them did. 

But Elimias, by their very definition, were old, hundreds of years old, so old that when they were brought in there would be no next of kin, no one to protest when they mysteriously vanished again. 

The government wouldn't admit to any of it, of course, as torture was bad press, as was experimenting on sentient beings, even if those beings were vampires. But Hakyeon, he _knew_ it happened. Elimias were the only kind of vampire that didn't begin to lose it within days of being denied human blood. They could go months on nothing at all, and even longer, if they were fed bagged human blood. 

And once they finally did lose it they were staked and burned. 

Hakyeon thought about Taekwoon lying in a pool of his own blood, his heart torn apart by sharpened wood, and sobbed anew. 

——

Hakyeon had a roaring headache, and he rubbed at his temples. "I'm too old to be guzzling alcohol."

"You're practically ancient," Sanghyuk quipped agreeably. He was sitting on the floor, looking through Wonshik's boxes of stuff, while Hakyeon stood by the window, soaking in the bright sunlight. He found the warmth of daylight soothed all his worries away, shrinking his fears. In the blinding sunlight, it almost seemed like everything could work out. 

"You're lucky I feel too queasy to punish you," Hakyeon mumbled. Sanghyuk did not reply, remaining unusually silent. "Sanghyuk?"

"I think I— there's a maid outfit in this box," Sanghyuk said weakly.

Hakyeon whipped around to stare, and immediately regretted it, his world spinning. Sanghyuk was indeed holding up a maid costume, a terrible, frozen expression on his face. "Put it back," Hakyeon said. "Put it back, pretend it didn't happen." He slapped a hand over his stomach as his world swayed. "I think I am going to be sick."

"Me too," Sanghyuk said, stuffing the costume back into the box. When Hakyeon didn't reply, he glanced at him, then did a double take. "Are you really going to be sick?"

Hakyeon had his hand braced on the wall, and was trying very hard to think non-barfy thoughts. "I am trying very hard not to be."

Sanghyuk paused for a moment and then asked, as delicately as possible, "Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?"

"Yes." Hakyeon wobbled over the the recliner, sat down very carefully, and then let himself sag into the cushions. Sanghyuk resumed quietly shuffling through the boxes, and Hakyeon let his eyes drift shut.

He must have dozed off, because when the wards of his apartment made him open his eyes again, the light coming in from the windows had changed. 

"I think Kyungsoo's here," Sanghyuk said, from amidst a pile of books. Hakyeon hadn't known Wonshik owned so many books.

The wards of the apartment were positively excited. "Yes, I think you're right." He sat up, slowly, carefully, but found the nap had rejuvenated him some. He no longer felt on the verge of puking up his internal organs, and the headache wasn't as bad as it had been. 

The knock was loud and decisive, three quick bangs. Hakyeon winced as he stood, and Sanghyuk scrambled up onto his feet, saying, "I can get it—"

"I'm not wounded, Sanghyuk," Hakyeon said. "Either mentally or physically. I'm not— cracked." Sanghyuk looked a little wounded. "You're— I love you, you're better than I deserve. But don't waste your energy worrying about me, it's not worth it."

Sanghyuk frowned at that, but he didn't say anything more as Hakyeon went to answer his door.

The moment Hakyeon opened the door he had to stumble back because Kyungsoo shoved past him roughly, hefting a small chest, inlaid with several different kinds of wood and carved with runes. "That can— living room," Hakyeon said weakly, because Kyungsoo was already turning the corner into said room, and Hakyeon followed him.

With a grunt, Kyungsoo set the chest down in the middle of Hakyeon's living room floor. There was plenty of space for it, but it didn't seem so, somehow. For all that the chest was on the smaller side, it felt quite large. 

"I hope you appreciate the things I do for you," Kyungsoo said, wiping his damp brow with the back of his hand. "I _hate_ making house calls."

"I appreciate it more than you know," Hakyeon murmured, and Kyungsoo flushed a little at the sincerity in his voice. 

Kyungsoo grumbled, turning to Sanghyuk, who was standing in the corner of the room trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. "How have your tats been holding up?"

"Fine," Sanghyuk squeaked, and Kyungsoo nodded in approval.

"Well," Kyungsoo said, clapping his hands together, and Hakyeon winced as the sound caused a spike of pain in his head, "let's get started." He unlatched the clasp on the chest and opened it, no ceremony about it, but Hakyeon could feel the power coming out of it in waves. 

"Whoa," Sanghyuk whispered, stepping forward, trying to peer into the chest.

Weirdly, the first thing Kyungsoo pulled out was a small glass bottle, the cork sealed with wax. The liquid inside it was deep blue. "This is for you," he said, holding it out to Hakyeon, who took it gingerly. Considering the energy coming out of the chest, and how it almost translated into heat, Hakyeon was a little surprised that the glass was cool. "It should stop the nightmares."

Hakyeon stuttered, eyes snapping up to meet Kyungsoo's, and the abrupt motion made him sway. "How—" He looked at Sanghyuk, who shifted guiltily. 

"Sanghyuk called me this morning while you were still asleep, said you were having some— issues," Kyungsoo said simply, shrugging. "If I'd known you were hungover, I would've brought something for that as well." 

Hakyeon flushed. "Thank you."

Kyungsoo's eyes had a strange, clear quality to them. "You're allowed to ask for help sometimes, Hakyeon. There's no shame in—" He stopped, like he was trying to find the right words. "There's no shame in being affected, I suppose, by your job, and the impact it has on your life." He added, in a softer voice, "We all have nightmares."

Hakyeon didn't say anything, so Kyungsoo sighed and moved on. "I was prepared to redo your house wards entirely, but they aren't nearly as bad as you made them sound. They're all still live and I don't sense any bad drafts." His head cocked to the side, eyes half closing, and he mumbled, "No, they're not bad at all."

"You are the one who did them," Hakyeon said. "I wasn't— I mean— I wasn't doubting your skill, I just tend to wear wards out fast."

"Mmhm," Kyungsoo said, a slight hitch in his brow. "Hakyeon, I—" He bit his lip. "I don't know how to lead into this, so I'll start with something related." He bent to retrieve something out of the chest that turned out to be a small, circular piece of glass. It was about the size of the palm of his hand. It was multi-colored, maybe supposed to be a painting of something, but when Hakyeon tried to focus on it, it shifted. Along its edge was a silver border, twisting around itself. Hakyeon found that much of the power— the energy— that had been radiating from the chest was actually coming from this little piece of glass.

"That is _potent_ ," Hakyeon said, finding he almost didn't want to touch it.

"Yes, it is quite strong," Kyungsoo said mildly, "but you'll find it useful, I think. Put it over your front door, and it makes anyone who leaves this place — how do I say it — unseeable? And it works for the opposite as well, anyone who is outside this place and has the intention of coming in, will also be unseeable."

"It turns people _invisible_?" Sanghyuk gasped, and Kyungsoo shot him a scathing look.

"No, that would be— quite something else. Rather, it makes people unnoticable. If someone is standing outside this place, with the intention of keeping track of who comes and goes, they will find themselves curiously distracted when someone _does_ come or go, a slight slip in their attention span, and, as is the mark of any good spell, the affected person won't even notice it has happened. And I like to think my spells are good ones." He looked to Hakyeon, face curiously blank. "It's far less energy than trying to turn someone invisible, but making one that covers an entire residence was— a bit daunting, and also required some tweaking of the original spell. They usually only make them for specific individuals." 

Hakyeon swallowed the lump in his throat, tears pricking at his eyes. "Oh, Kyungsoo, I— thank you, that's— it's more useful than you know."

Kyungsoo's lips pursed, and he gave Hakyeon a look that was distinctly unflattering. "That was the lead-in to put your mind at ease for this next bit. I am the one who put the wards on your apartment, Hakyeon, and they take— notes, of a sort, every time something disturbs them, every time they have to flare up and do something." He looked up and for a moment, just a flash, the runes all over the walls came alive, glowing bright blue, and then they faded out again. "I brought that charm because I suspected — and now I know — that you've been entertaining a vampire here."

Hakyeon swayed, not from the hangover, simply from the sudden, horrible feeling that his stomach had just dropped out of him. He _felt_ his face go pale in a sickly rush, and Sanghyuk was making some kind of absurd burbling noise. He must have blacked out for a few seconds, because suddenly Sanghyuk was holding onto his arm, keeping him upright. 

"Before you go fainting," Kyungsoo said, watching Hakyeon with his large dark eyes, "please do remember I made this charm for you, and what it means that I did that instead of going to the VCF with this information." 

"Why?" Hakyeon gasped out. He felt so very sick. 

Kyungsoo frowned. "Wonshik was my friend too, and I know that you and I share many qualities, Hakyeon. We're both loyal to those we love, to an extent that is possibly detrimental. And we're both stubborn, to an extent that is _definitely_ detrimental. And we both have always only obeyed the rules so long as it suited us." He shrugged. "I figured you'd still be in contact with Wonshik regardless of his change in— circumstances. And in the interest of keeping you out of prison and him, er, unstaked, I thought I should give you a bit of help, even if it did distress you." His eyes flicked to Sanghyuk. "I do apologize if Sanghyuk didn't already know, though. I assumed he would."

"I— yeah," Sanghyuk said weakly.

"I figured I could spell him, to make him forget, if worse came to worst," Kyungsoo said casually, and Sanghyuk squeaked. 

"No," Hakyeon said, lips feeling numb. "He knew."

Kyungsoo stared at him. "So, do you want me to install the charm as well?"

Hakyeon held his gaze for a beat, and then nodded, meekly. Kyungsoo bustled off, to do just that, and Hakyeon sank down onto his living room floor. 

——

Kyungsoo was laying belly-down on the hood of Wonshik's car. His eyes were closed, and he almost looked like he was sunning himself. 

Hakyeon tugged his living room window open, so he could poke his head out. "Uh, you alright?" he called down. The people on the street walking by were giving Kyungsoo odd looks. 

"Shut up," Kyungsoo said. "I'm listening."

"Okay," Hakyeon said simply, and retreated back inside. He wished he didn't feel so sick still. He wanted to make cookies. He stress baked, it was another thing Wonshik had used to tease him about. But right now Hakyeon couldn't stomach his apartment smelling like food. 

Sanghyuk stayed by the window, watching Kyungsoo, apparently transfixed. "He's a bit odd."

"He is," Hakyeon agreed. "But he's an amazing sorcerer, and I'm glad he's on our side." 

"Are you going to— tell him?" 

Hakyeon didn't ask what Sanghyuk was referring to. "No."

Sanghyuk's mouth twisted, but he didn't argue. 

When Kyungsoo came back up, he said, "The car's got quite a bit of spellwork on it, it's got a charm for listening in on any conversations that take place within the vehicle, and then another to track where it is. It's also been bugged, the usual way, and there's a GPS tracker. Presumably in the hopes that you'll be too busy sensing and disabling the spells to realize it's also been tinkered with the normal human way." Kyungsoo paused to take a breath, then said, "Do you want me to disable it all?"

Hakyeon thought for a moment. "No, just disable the spells, leave the tech stuff. If we get rid of it all, they'll know and become more suspicious, and then if we leave it all, they'll know and become more suspicious. Better to do what they're expecting." 

Kyungsoo nodded. "That's what I was thinking. You'll just have to watch where you go and what you say."

"I can do that," Hakyeon said with a shrug. "Let them listen, I'll bore them to death." Kyungsoo grinned.

By the time the wards on Hakyeon's house had been refreshed, the car's spells stripped, and the new ward settled into place above Hakyeon's front door, the sky was beginning to turn colors and Kyungsoo was downright grumpy. 

"You owe me so much, _so_ much—" he said, when he finally stomped back into the living room, covered in spell chalk and flecks of what Hakyeon thought might be lamb's blood. "I hate undoing spells that aren't my own. Every caster does their shit differently."

"I know, I'm sorry," Hakyeon said quickly. "But you're the best sorcerer for at least fifty—"

"Spare me the flattery, or I will curse you so all your hair falls out," Kyungsoo snapped, and Hakyeon looked horrified. It seemed to cheer Kyungsoo up some. 

"I don't think I've ever seen his forehead," Sanghyuk mumbled, and Hakyeon glared at him. 

"It's shaped funny," Kyungsoo said, and then Hakyeon glared at _him_. 

"I take back any and all flattery," Hakyeon announced. 

"Yeah, whatever." Kyungsoo held his hand out. "Pay up so I can go home."

Hakyeon reached into his back pocket, pulling out a large roll of cash that made Sanghyuk's eyes widen. Hakyeon knew about how much should be paid for the wards on his house, and then for the removal of the spellwork on the car, but he hadn't known how much he should give Kyungsoo for that charm. Maybe he was going overboard but Kyungsoo would tell him. Scamming people wasn't good for sorcerers.

Kyungsoo took the money, cupping it in his palms, weighing it for several beats as his eyes closed. When he opened them again, he said, "It's not enough."

Hakyeon blinked, mildly outraged but also slightly worried. "That's all I've got right now unless you want me to _starve_."

Kyungsoo shook his head. "You don't have to give me more money — this is enough to pay for everything monetarily — but it's not enough to cover the— the—" He waved a hand in the air vaguely.

"Ah," Hakyeon said, somehow able to interpret the hand motion. "The balance, the recoil. I owe you, is that what you're saying? Because of the large favor you've done me." He grinned, though it was more like a baring of teeth. "Do you need any vamps killed?"

Kyungsoo snorted, and pocketed his large roll of cash. Hakyeon suppressed a sigh; he'd been hoping to get some of it back. "You and I both know that if a vamp ever attacked me I could blast its heart out before it could even touch me."

"I always said you should be a hunter," Hakyeon muttered.

"Yeah, yeah, moral obligation to the people and all that honor shit," Kyungsoo said, rolling his eyes. "I do enough for the people as it is, and this pays better. Besides, you know I hate taking orders." Hakyeon nodded. "No, just know that at some point, you will owe me a favor, and so long as you intend to hold to that, the— the balance— should not take issue."

"Duly noted," Hakyeon said, a little flatly.

Kyungsoo smiled. "Well, I guess I'll see you then."

"Yeah, I'll see you out," Hakyeon said, and then he paused. "Ah, wait, Sanghyuk, didn't you want to ask Kyungsoo something?"

Sanghyuk startled, a little, and looked fearfully at Kyungsoo when the little sorcerer turned his large eyes on him. "Uhm, it can wait."

"I'm here," Kyungsoo said, and Sanghyuk looked even more afraid.

"I was just— I was wondering if you think it's too soon to get another warded tattoo?"

Hakyeon felt his eyebrows raise. He hadn't known Sanghyuk was looking to get more. It made sense, as he only had the standard hunter's three: the owl eyes, the anti-glamour triangle, and the sunburst on his back.

Kyungsoo frowned a little in thought, and Sanghyuk fidgeted. "It depends on what you want," Kyungsoo said slowly. 

"I want an oak tree on my forearm, like Hakyeon has," Sanghyuk said immediately. 

_That_ really took Hakyeon by surprise. He'd expected Sanghyuk to want another offensive tattoo similar to the sunburst, or maybe the staked heart. The oak tree was more of an intuitive tattoo, subtle, not many hunters bothered with it. 

Maybe Sanghyuk was even more like Hakyeon than he'd realized. 

"You've adjusted well to the three you have, I don't think it would be a strain to get an oak tree," Kyungsoo said, and Sanghyuk perked up. "Call me, we'll make an appointment."

"Thank you," Sanghyuk said, and that was that.

At the door, Kyungsoo hugged Hakyeon tightly, and told him that if anything came up, to text him. "I will," Hakyeon whispered.

The new charm above the door gave a ping after Hakyeon had shut the door, presumably because it was working. It wasn't quite so glaring, now that it had been installed, like the power had soaked into the walls and couldn't radiate out as well. But Hakyeon could still definitely feel it. It would take some getting used to. 

From behind Hakyeon, Sanghyuk sighed. "I was hoping we could go see the new X-Men movie today, but it's too late now." He glanced out the window, at the pink sky, sullenly. 

"Well, there's no accounting for bad taste," Hakyeon said, and Sanghyuk gave him a look that was most unimpressed. 

"I'm not the one who reads harlequin romance novels—"

"I told you not to go snooping through my things!" Hakyeon said, louder than he'd meant to, and Sanghyuk snickered. "Just— go pack your stuff, will you? We need to leave."

Sanghyuk sobered. "Are you going to go see Taekwoon? Or have him come here?"

Hakyeon's amulet made a small noise, a forlorn little musical note, and Hakyeon felt his cheeks reddening. "No, even with all the new wards, I don't think it would be safe, just yet. I'll wait a week or two." The words almost caused him a physical pain. "Besides, I'm not taking you home. We need to go into work, remember?"

"Oh," Sanghyuk said, "yeah."

Hakyeon jerked his head and Sanghyuk obediently scampered off. It made Hakyeon smile fondly, but then he sighed, feeling all his energy drain away. He needed to see Taekwoon, felt like less of himself every day that went by and he didn't. 

The bottle Kyungsoo had given him was sitting on the counter gleaming in the low light. Hakyeon went over to it and picked it up. Kyungsoo had said to take a spoonful before sleeping, and he would, but right now he was curious. Hakyeon picked at the wax seal, so he could pry the cork out and smell the concoction inside. 

It smelled— damp, earthy, not in a bad way. It reminded Hakyeon of a creek, of dappled sunlight and crisp air. It had a slight zing to it, which might have been the magic. Hakyeon hoped it tasted as inoffensive as it smelled.

Hakyeon hoped it _worked_.

Sanghyuk came back into the room, hefting his giant bag of crap. He stopped when he saw what Hakyeon was holding. "Hakyeon? Are you alright?"

"Yeah, we can get going," Hakyeon said. He wedged the cork back into the mouth of the bottle. 

"You looked— sad."

Hakyeon very carefully set the bottle back on his counter. It made a clinking noise as the glass met the tile. His hand lingered on the glass, the blue color of the liquid reflected onto his skin by the light. "Have you heard the story of the girl with the white roses?" Hakyeon asked suddenly.

Sanghyuk looked baffled. "Uh, yeah? I'm pretty sure everyone has." His head tilted a little bit as he regarded Hakyeon thoughtfully. "Why?"

"I think about it, sometimes," Hakyeon whispered, putting the bottle down. 

The girl with the white roses had become a sort of urban legend, and the story had been twisted through time, but Hakyeon knew the facts of it, being a hunter as he was. The case was officially on record in the VCF database, and so it was on record in theirs as well. 

There'd been a girl, who'd lived in the late 1800s and died young, when she was seventeen in some kind of horse riding accident. It was a fairly common cause of death, nothing abnormal there, and her family had been a bit well off, and they'd laid her to rest in a large, ancient cemetery. To mark her grave they'd had a life sized marble statue created in her likeness, had it posed so she was laying atop a small pedestal, her stone face peaceful in what appeared to be slumber. 

Mourners had left flowers around her grave, on the stone statue, and it hadn't been odd at first, but the groundskeepers noticed something eventually. Every evening they'd clear the flowers away, but then in the mornings, there'd be a small bouquet of white roses placed carefully in the crook of the girl's arm. 

People weren't allowed into the cemetery after dark; aside from the obvious vampire problem that plagued humans even back then, there was grave robbing to consider. The groundskeepers increased security, even at their own personal risk, but they never could catch who was leaving the flowers at the grave in the dead of night, and eventually they gave up. 

But the flowers never ceased to appear. The weeks turned to months, then to years, decades, the cemetery passed on to another's ownership, all of the girl's living relatives died, but still the flowers appeared. The grave was still there, to Hakyeon's understanding, and now, over a hundred years later, new flowers still appeared, white roses, fresh every dawn. 

The legend went that the girl had had a vampire lover, who still mourned her, but the VCF's official theory was that some sorcerer had laid some kind of spell on her grave, because humans and vampires could never be lovers. 

But Hakyeon knew better.

Sanghyuk was looking at him a bit sadly. "Is that what your nightmares are about?" he asked softly.

Hakyeon looked away, down at his hands. "Sometimes." 

He had many recurring nightmares, different projections of his own future. Taekwoon holding white roses, alone in the darkness, Hakyeon's face smeared with blood, the taste of it sharp on his tongue, Taekwoon dead in a cold cell—

"Come on, we're going to be late," Hakyeon said, opening his front door.


	2. Chapter 2

"Well that was a bust," Sanghyuk grumbled. He slid a sideways glance at Hakyeon, not breaking stride as the two of them walked over uneven concrete. "And a waste of eyeliner."

"Not a total waste," Hakyeon said. "You did get that guy's number."

"I do not want to date any ordinary human that actually goes out partying after dark. He's an idiot. They're all idiots." 

Hakyeon pressed his lips together to keep from laughing. 

HQ had instituted an experimental policy while Hakyeon and Sanghyuk were on suspension, which stated that hunters on fishing trips would have to go in twos, and were not to separate, even when they went into the clubs. They said it was because vamps were getting leery about attacking people who were, clearly, alone. Because really, ordinary people don't usually wander around by themselves at night. Hakyeon rather thought that two people made less of an appealing target than one, but then he also supposed that two ordinary humans were no more a match for a vampire than a person alone would be. 

He knew it wasn't really about perfecting their hunting techniques anyway.

It was more hassle though, making two people up as bait instead of one. Sanghyuk still had baby fat, his broad nose contributing to his overall squishy image, and yet when he got all made up, it was like Hakyeon was seeing the shadow of some other person. Maybe he was projecting, seeing his younger self in Sanghyuk's smoky eyes, but he rather thought he was glimpsing what Sanghyuk was going to become. It was somewhat disconcerting, and he got a shock every night after he'd put the last finishing touches on.

For all that HQ said the new method was working fine, this was their third night back on the job, their third night fishing as a pair, and the third night that absolutely nothing had happened. Sometimes, the chain around Hakyeon's neck would tingle, and he was glad for the monotony. At least it meant that whoever Kris had popping in to watch them wouldn't have anything at all exciting to report. 

Tonight though, the chain was silent. No one was following them, neither friend nor foe.

Hakyeon's amulet pinged at him, a forlorn little sound, and Hakyeon sighed. It was an intuitive little thing. It seemed to miss Taekwoon just as much as Hakyeon did. He'd promised himself he'd wait at least a week, to be safe, but fuck, he felt nearly sick with longing. At least when they'd been on suspension, Sanghyuk had been staying with him, taking up all his energy so he couldn't fucking _pine_. And with Kris's people watching them constantly Hakyeon had literally been unable to go see Taekwoon. 

But now he had the freedom to seek his lover out, and he was waiting merely because it was what he _should_ do. Hakyeon was never good at doing things simply because he should. 

"Hakyeon," Sanghyuk called, and Hakyeon jolted, swivelling, finding Sanghyuk was no longer by his side. Instead, he was standing several paces behind. "Your car is right here." He gestured, and, yes, this was where Hakyeon had parked, a few blocks away from the club. 

"Yes," Hakyeon said, at a loss for any witty reply, and Sanghyuk rolled his eyes.

As Hakyeon slid into the driver's seat, Sanghyuk said, "Maybe I should drive. You seem out of it."

"I don't like this car. In fact, I hate this car. Despite that, however, I would not put it through your awful driving."

Sanghyuk gave an indignant squawk. 

——

By the time Hakyeon and Sanghyuk finished their paperwork for the night the sky was lightening, and as Hakyeon drove Sanghyuk home, the sun broke over the horizon. Sanghyuk sighed, happily, tipping his face up into the light, but for Hakyeon it was bittersweet. Daylight, come again, warm and safe and good, when all Hakyeon wanted was night, a long night, so he'd have time—

"You just passed my apartment," Sanghyuk said idly, and Hakyeon braked so hard that their seat belts locked when they jerked forward. "You could have made a u-turn but okay."

"I'm sorry," Hakyeon said. "I'm really sorry. I'll turn around."

"No, it's okay, I'll walk, it's only like fifty feet back, and it's daylight now. Only humans to worry about." He was looking at Hakyeon like he could _see_ through him. "You've been so distracted, Hakyeon, maybe you should just—" He cut himself off, remembering where they were, that there were charms present, "just go home and rest a while. You could probably call off work tonight, since you could definitely use the sleep," he added the last part very casually, and Hakyeon smiled at him fondly. 

"Maybe, we'll see how I feel later," Hakyeon said. "But yes, I'll go home now."

Sanghyuk got out of the car smoothly, and Hakyeon drove away. He really did go to his apartment, parked by the curb, even got out and headed for the stairs, but he couldn't go in. He couldn't go back to silence and sunlight. 

It wasn't really _home_ anymore anyway. 

The streets came to life as Hakyeon walked, down blocks of bakeries, charm shops, cafes, and that one corner business that did people's taxes for them. As the sun crept away from the rooftops more and more people came out, ready and raring to get on with the day. A few people stared at him, this man dressed all in black with his smoky eyes and tousled hair, but none of them meant him any ill will. Hakyeon could feel the amulet and the chain swaying slightly under his shirt as he walked, and both were still calm.

Then he was in an alleyway, looking down at a very familiar grate. He cast his senses out, just to make sure, to be safe, and none of his wards picked up on anything. He was alone. 

So he bent, pulled the grate up, and descended into the darkness. 

He didn't have a flashlight on him. Why would he, he hadn't planned this. But it didn't matter, his owl eyes kicked in, so he could see the shapes of the walls and wouldn't run into them. As the sunlight faded completely they tingled, shifting his vision, not so much amplifying the minimal light as they were seeing for him, projecting the image of his surroundings right into his mind. He never liked that, it was weird, seeing but not with his _eyes_. But he'd deal with it. Fuck if he was going to pause to try and come up with a light source. 

He positively wrenched the door to Taekwoon's place open. If he'd been a vampire, had their strength, it might have come off its hinges, but he was merely a human, and so it stood up to his rough treatment. It swung shut behind him with a resonating bang, and he half tripped as he tried to keep walking while tugging off his shoes, his socks. 

He strode into the main living area, successfully barefoot. Taekwoon was sitting in up bed, his hair sticking up on one side, and he had a frozen expression on his face as he stared at Hakyeon, wide eyed. For a brief moment, Hakyeon stilled, so they could hold one another's gazes from across the room, Hakyeon feeling like the very breath had been stolen from his lungs. And then Taekwoon shifted, like he was going to get out of bed, and Hakyeon shot forward, saying breathlessly, "No, stay." Taekwoon stilled and then Hakyeon was there, clambering into bed with him and shoving him down onto his back. He lay atop Taekwoon's body, grasped his face in both hands, and kissed him.

Taekwoon gasped, breathing in deeply, like Hakyeon had pulled him from water. His hands moved from Hakyeon's shoulders to lightly touch his back, then his hips, fluttering gently over Hakyeon's body like he was confirming his solidity. Hakyeon sucked on Taekwoon's lower lip, worrying it a little between his blunt teeth, and Taekwoon gave a moan that was half a sob. 

"I'm here, you're not dreaming," Hakyeon said, pulling away just enough so that he could frantically tear his shirt off over his head, push his jeans off his legs. Then he lay back on Taekwoon's body, skin to skin, and fuck but Taekwoon was so warm, so smooth, so _perfect_ —

"Vampires don't dream," Taekwoon whispered, reverently pushing Hakyeon's hair off his face then resting his hands against Hakyeon's cheeks. "But if I could dream, it would be of this." He met Hakyeon's eyes, unashamed, and Hakyeon found himself blushing. 

Hakyeon turned his face so he could press a kiss to Taekwoon's palm. "They took the watch off me a few days ago, and I wanted to wait a week, give it some time, just to be safe, but I couldn't stay away from you any longer." 

"Good," Taekwoon breathed, watching as Hakyeon poked his tongue out to lick lightly at Taekwoon's thumb. Taekwoon pressed his thumb past Hakyeon's parted lips, the pad of it resting against the silky heat of Hakyeon's tongue, and Hakyeon obligingly sucked on it lightly, knowing he looked good like this. He was made up to be vampire bait after all. 

Taekwoon blinked, and his eyelids were slow to rise again, mouth fallen slightly open as if he was in a trance. "Hakyeon—" he began, ever so softly, but Hakyeon didn't want to hear it.

He moved so he could kiss the pad of Taekwoon's thumb. "I know it's daylight," he said, lips brushing Taekwoon's fingertip. He grasped Taekwoon's wrist, holding his hand steady so he could kiss the other four fingers lightly. "But I missed you, so fucking much."

"And I, you," Taekwoon murmured, "more than you'll ever know." Hakyeon blinked at Taekwoon, waiting, and watched as he sighed just slightly. "I'm weak at this time," he finally said, and Hakyeon smiled. 

"I don't mind doing most of the work," Hakyeon said, shifting so their hips were aligned just so. Hakyeon was hard, had been hard since before he even walked into the apartment, and now Taekwoon was too, pressing hot against Hakyeon's thigh. Hakyeon rolled his hips down, and Taekwoon hissed, head tossing back. "I want you, so much. Let me show you."

"Mm," Taekwoon hummed, watching with half closed eyes as Hakyeon sat up, impatiently tossing the blankets away. He reached for the nightstand, fumbling, as only a human could, for the lube he'd stashed there.

Once he'd retrieved it he straddled Taekwoon's waist, frowning a little. This part was always such a hassle, and Taekwoon never let him rush it, but right now Taekwoon was too weak and sleepy to boss him around. He uncapped the lube and spread some on the fingers of his right hand, then let the little container drop to the bed so he could place his free left hand on Taekwoon's chest to steady himself. The whole while Taekwoon watched him silently, lips slightly parted, chest still. 

"You haven't moved anything around at all," Hakyeon murmured as he reached behind himself, pressing his first two fingers into his opening, hissing at the burn.

Taekwoon frowned, gently touching Hakyeon's thighs, bracketed on either side of his hips. "Go slowly," he murmured, thumbs rubbing gently against the skin of Hakyeon's thighs. The skin was peppered by small, faint scars, marks from Taekwoon's teeth. 

Hakyeon shook his head shortly, pumping his fingers in and out. He could feel sweat beginning to bead on his forehead, knew the tears at the corners of his eyes were making a mess of his eyeliner. "What have you been doing, these past few weeks? I've been— wondering— ah—" He scissored his fingers, jerking involuntarily, and Taekwoon's fingertips pressed into his thighs for a brief moment before he caught himself. 

"I have been worried about you," Taekwoon murmured, face concerned. "Go _slowly_."

Hakyeon huffed out a breath in exasperation. "No, I've told you before, I don't mind a little roughness."

"I do," Taekwoon said simply, reaching up with one hand to gently grasp Hakyeon's cock, pressing his thumb to the precome beading at the tip, before dragging it down to rub lightly at the sensitive spot just under the head. 

"You don't need to worry about me," Hakyeon whispered, struggling to hold himself still as Taekwoon continued to teasingly play with his cock. He worked a third finger into himself beside the first two, the sting of it grounding him, and he hissed. "You didn't answer my question."

"I've been here." Taekwoon was scowling now, not looking at Hakyeon's face. "Worrying, as I said."

Hakyeon stilled in his prep, then, blinking down at Taekwoon's face. "You mean you haven't _left_? It's been weeks."

Taekwoon hadn't stilled, was still agonizingly running his fingertips over Hakyeon's cock. "I knew if I went above ground the temptation to find you would be too much, and I made you a promise I did not want to break." He blinked slowly, sleepily, meeting Hakyeon's eyes once more. "So I remained here."

Hakyeon swallowed thickly. He pulled his fingers from himself, then braced his hands on either side of Taekwoon's head, leaning down to press a sweet kiss to the corner of Taekwoon's mouth. "You're ridiculous."

Taekwoon brought his hands to rest on Hakyeon's waist. "I love you," he replied. "I don't think you will ever understand the overwhelming sense of vulnerability I feel, loving something so fragile. I spend my days in terror, fearful that you will come to harm where I cannot help you, and then come night I will wait for your return, and wait, and you'll never come." In his tiredness he was rambling some, and Hakyeon's heart ached. He did understand, more than he cared to. Taekwoon gently touched the side of Hakyeon's face, his movements so slow. "You could be snatched away from me so easily."

"I'm here, you silly thing, I'm _okay_ ," Hakyeon said, voice scratchy with unshed tears. He kissed Taekwoon on the mouth, properly, long and slow and deep. 

Hakyeon shifted downwards, just a little, so their hips were aligned properly. He placed one hand on Taekwoon's chest, palm flat, and with the other reached behind himself, not breaking the kiss. It was a little awkward, the angle, as he carefully positioned Taekwoon's cock, pressing the tip against his entrance. He had to break away, sit up some, to get the leverage he needed, and then he sank back, biting his bottom lip harshly as the tip of Taekwoon's cock pressed inside of him. He should have taken more time with prep, had tightened up in the weeks they'd been apart, but he just— he'd wanted this so badly—

He brought the hand he'd been using to guide Taekwoon's cock into himself to rest on Taekwoon's chest with his other hand, bracing, and then he sank down the rest of the way with a suddenness that left him breathless. Taekwoon actually gave a little cry, head tossing back, and with his mouth fallen open Hakyeon could see his fangs slide out. Hakyeon leaned down again, flicking his tongue past Taekwoon's parted lips so he could run his tongue along those pointed tips, razor sharp. 

Taekwoon's hips juddered upwards, and Hakyeon hissed, his fingernails digging into the skin of Taekwoon's chest. He arched his back, sitting up and dragging his nails down Taekwoon's torso as he did so, over his nipples and the ridges of his abs, just to hear him whimper. 

"So vocal when you're half asleep, so sweet," Hakyeon mumbled, bracing his hands behind himself, on Taekwoon's sturdy thighs. The position caused his back to arch prettily, and he let his head loll back, exposing the long line of his throat as he began to circle his hips, grinding down. 

There was the lightest brush of Taekwoon's fingertips on Hakyeon's chest, before they were abruptly snatched away, presumably to clutch at the sheets instead. Hakyeon smiled, a little, clenching as he ground down, and Taewoon made a tiny, helpless noise. 

"I missed those little noises," Hakyeon said, laughing breathlessly. "I missed the feeling of you inside me, the way you pant my name—"

"Ah," Taekwoon gasped. He was shuddering, presumably with the effort of holding still, his control unravelling. "Can you—"

"Yes," Hakyeon said, moving so he was leaning forward once more, bracing his hands against Taekwoon's shoulders to give himself some leverage. He could move now, properly, and he lifted himself up off Taekwoon's cock until only the tip was inside him, and then he sank back down, starting a rhythm. 

"Oh," Taekwoon gasped, " _oh_." His hips stuttered, but he was too weak to keep up with Hakyeon's pace, for once their usual power dynamic switched. He blinked rapidly, his eyes glazed over, a hitch between his brows. "I can't— slow down—" He grasped at Hakyeon's hips, trying to control the pace, but he couldn't, not like this.

Hakyeon didn't stop, sped up a little, laughing breathlessly as Taekwoon moaned, the sound soft and broken. He grabbed Taekwoon's wrists and pressed them down to the mattress by Taekwoon's head. "Will you beg me?" Hakyeon panted, grinning, face only a few inches above Taekwoon's.

Taekwoon's eyes focused enough so that he could shoot Hakyeon a disgruntled glare. "Do not— tease me—" He choked when Hakyeon nipped at his bottom lip. 

"You'll get me back," Hakyeon said simply, breath fanning over Taekwoon's face. "Come nightfall, you'll fuck me, over and over, making me come, first screaming, then sobbing. You'll make me beg for mercy, relentless, until all I can remember is your name, the feel of your skin against mine—" Hakyeon broke off with a breathy cry when Taekwoon rolled his hips upwards. 

"Yes," Taekwoon whispered. "Yes, yes, _yes_ —"

"I want to see you come," Hakyeon breathed. "Come inside me, so I can feel it, I've missed it so much, been fucking myself on my fingers imagining it was you for weeks—"

Taekwoon's eyes screwed shut, head tipping back a little as he grit his teeth. "Hakyeon," he gasped, the word catching on a sob. " _Hakyeon_ —" His hips snapped upwards and he came, crying out more loudly than Hakyeon had thought his sweet, feathery voice could ever achieve. Hakyeon kept his rhythm up, even though his thighs were burning, wanting to watch Taekwoon lose it utterly. "Fuck, I— I can't— oh God—" A shudder ran through Taekwoon, his whole body jerking when Hakyeon clenched down on him. "Please—"

Hakyeon's legs gave way, and he let himself fall forward onto Taekwoon's chest, still circling his hips, grinding almost desperately. He bit at the shell of Taekwoon's ear, panting, "Bite me, please, Taekwoon, bite me—"

Taekwoon wrapped his arms around Hakyeon's middle and rolled them over, so he was pressing Hakyeon into the mattress, and Hakyeon made a surprised little noise. Then Taekwoon's mouth was on his neck, his fangs breaking the delicate skin as he rutted his hips forward, and Hakyeon gasped in surprise, coming in a heated rush, all the painful coiled tension leaving him as he exhaled. He cradled Taekwoon's head to him as he shuddered, his legs wrapping around Taekwoon's waist.

"I love you," Hakyeon whispered, feeling Taekwoon swallow as his cock twitched with aftershocks. "I'm so fucked, I love you _too much_ —"

Taekwoon darted up to kiss Hakyeon, mouth slick with blood. Hakyeon licked himself off Taekwoon's lips, not caring if this was a hundred shades of fucked up. He ran his tongue over Taekwoon's teeth, those sharp canines making him shiver all over again.

When Hakyeon pulled away for air, panting heavily, Taekwoon flopped down, resting his head on Hakyeon's chest tiredly. "I'd say we should do that more often," Hakyeon muttered, "but I don't think I ever, _ever_ , want to be parted from you again." 

Taekwoon shook his head, exhaling, and Hakyeon felt his body go lax. They were still joined, and he could feel Taekwoon's cock growing soft inside him. It was a strangely intimate feeling. "I missed this," Taekwoon slurred.

"What?" Hakyeon said, laughing a little. "Sweaty, post-coitus cuddling?"

"Your heartbeat," Taekwoon whispered, and Hakyeon's hands, which had been carding through Taekwoon's hair, stilled. Taekwoon moved, so he could press a swift kiss to Hakyeon's sternum, before pressing his ear against Hakyeon's rib cage once more. 

Hakyeon blinked up at the ceiling, feeling tears prick at his eyes, and he clutched Taekwoon to himself, like that would prevent the universe from tearing them apart.


End file.
